GOP are not about "freedom": Move to Kill Net Neutrality Legislation

[Kondor3]

I find myself wondering whether all the fuss about Internet regulation has been overdone...

There is certainly a possibility that the Federal government could overreach itself in this area...

But when the Feds decided to break-up AT&T et al into a collection of Baby Bells and to regulate their geographic coverage-zones and rates, etc...

That was a reaction to the abuses of Big Business and to give the little guy a break, and a choice...

During all that time, the Feds sat on the shoulders of the Baby Bells but did NOT do very much to regulate content over those wires...

I suspect that the next round of Telecomm Reform will do something similar for the Internet,and I do not see such Regulation doing anything substantive to 'stifle innovation', despite what opponents of such Regulation would have us believe.

Breaking the ISP Autocracy up into a series of Baby ISPs (Baby Comcasts, etc.) - or keeping them under a damned-close scrutiny, so that they cannot start screwing-over consumers and charging more for the type of content they're accessing - does not portend the Feds getting involved overly-much in content legitimization nor content oversight...

I do not lightly contemplate supporting such Regulation of Fees to the Public.

I'm of the opinion that the Feds routinely screw-up what they put their hands on.

But we're fast approaching the point where the Internet is becoming a 'necessity' (to operate communications and information mechanisms and to do business, right down to paying bills and making purchases, paying taxes, receiving alerts [school closures, emergencies, etc.], home security and smoke/fire alarm links to police and fire, etc.) to everyday life...

And, as we reach and surpass that significant tipping point, a more generous or liberal (small "L") or 'popular' sympathy and approach - to the matter of flat rate content costs for all manner of content - seems warranted and in the best long-term interests of The People and The Republic.

Or so it seems to me, based upon my own modest readings and musings on the subject to date.

It's not your father's Internet...

 

[peach174]

Everyone in this thread supports net neutrality. Since not one person has stated that they have been unhappy with how they have been able to access the net up until now.

That proves that there is no need for the Government to come in and regulate it doesn't it.

You know the Government has been trying to get regulation control over the Internet since the early 1990's.

They clamed that if they did not regulate it that dial - up companies would go out of business and that broadband would take over. They are doing the same thing now.
Guess what? Dial up companies are still around.
You who are for Government regulation are assuming that new technology will not happen, when it will happen.
Theses companies are not going to take over and the speed for everyone will work itself out just like it did before.
It's customer satisfaction that will drive it not the Government.
Government control will delay it and will not allow free market innovations and will put some companies out of business.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

NetFlix refuses to pay for the pipes they use, it's their fucking problem

 

[RDD_1210]

NetFlix refuses to pay for the pipes they use, it's their fucking problem

This post sponsored by Comcast Corp.

 

[ClosedCaption]

You are one sick individual, do you know that?

BTW...ISP's have a monopoly because of Government.

Oh....they use subsidies? You realize that tax breaks are NOT subsidies?

Enough of this....You clearly do NOT understand the issue of Net Neutrality. Your just like every liberal. You want more for free.

Yeah you said that already

Great good point, so what?

Yes I do, I said Subsidies

More of free what? I like the internet the way it is now. Dont you?

My Internet has been fine since I started using it back in 1990. Net Neutrality is just government bloat that will screw it up.

Waaaa....

And you would like to keep it the way it is, yes?

 

[ClosedCaption]

So we are against freedom because we oppose the government regulating the internet?

Some people are so mixed up.

No, thats not the issue once again.

Net neutrality (also network neutrality or Internet neutrality) is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication.

If you are against net neutrality then from the definition you are promoting ISP to treat data differently for any reason they want. Which means restricting the internet or blocking it completely just because they can. If thats what you are for...fine. Just know what it actually is

 

[PredFan]

Once again the GOP proves that when they preach about freedom and small business that it's all total horseshit. The GOP is about one thing....big business and freedom for big business to do what they want, when they want. The GOP doesn't care about freedom for the individual and they certainly don't care about small business. Their ridiculous stance on Net Neutrality proves that without a shadow of a doubt.

Republicans Will Try to Kill New Net-Neutrality Rules - NationalJournal.com

If you are against Net Neutrality, you either don't understand the issue or you're a corporate shill. There is no other explanation.

Hey moron, "net neutrality" is not freedom. It is quite the opposite.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Net Neutrality is the way the internet is today.

Opposition to Net Neutrality is supporting changing the way the internet is today.

 

[bendog]

Why would anyone support allowing a internet provider, to whom I pay a monthly fed, to charge a fee to a company from whom I wish to purchase something over the internet?

I understand how this would be in Verizon, or ATT's, interests. But how is it good for me?

 

[Kondor3]

Why would anyone support allowing a internet provider, to whom I pay a monthly fed, to charge a fee to a company from whom I wish to purchase something over the internet?

I understand how this would be in Verizon, or ATT's, interests. But how is it good for me?

Personally, I think I understand what's driving this...

Let's say you are a NetFlix (or Amazon Prime, whatever) customer...

Let's say you are also a ComCast customer...

Let's say that you have been getting movie DVDs from NetFlix for years...

But recently somebody clued you in to the idea that you can 'stream' (much of) their content over the Internet, as well...

Rather than waiting for days for the DVD to get to your mailbox, you invest in a Smart Device (smart TV or DVD or DVR or Roku or whatever) for your family room or living room main household TV set, and it's a success...

Suddenly, rather than just using your Internet for web-browsing, you're suddenly streaming a half-dozen movies or more each day... huge files (huge downloads)... and gobbling-up a bigger slice of your neighborhood's ComCast Internet signal relay hub than you were yesterday...

But then your son and daughter figure-out that they can stream NetFlix on their X-Box or Wii or PlayStation game console, or on their desktop PCs, and they start streaming Netflix from their bedrooms either before or at bedtime or on days off-school or on vacation-time, etc..

Again, you've just bumped-up the amount of 'bandwidth' you're using...

Next, somebody figures out that all of the SmartPhones and Tablets belonging to family members can do the same thing...

Again, you've just bumped-up the amount of 'bandwidth' you're using...

Next, somebody decides to wire the house for security purposes, and connect that over the Internet to the Security Provider's Central location or to the local police, fire, etc., as well as plugging your senior citizen's medical-alert bracelet into the Internet, and as your kids start acquiring toys and gifts that connect to the Internet - Leapfrog tablets or other SmartToys...

Again, more and more bandwidth getting sucked-up, where your bandwidth consumption had been so much less, before...

Toss in some more Smart Phone and Tablet and PC apps (HBO Go, MaxGo, ShowTme Go, etc.) and toss in video calling capabilities like Skype, so that you can have video conference calls with your family on the other side of the country, etc., and...

Suddenly, you wake up one day, to discover you're being considered to be a Bandwidth Hog, and making ComCast (or any other ISP) sweat bullets, trying to keep up with the demand, while having to make-do with the revenues and profit-margins their getting...

Rather like the Feds not serving-up a decent C(ost) O(f) L(iving) A(djustment) for somebody on a pension or Social Security, and folks having to make-do with less, in a world of increasing costs...

And this is because every other house on your block (so-to-speak), all across the country, is in the middle of doing the exact same thing, and driving the I(nternet) S(ervice) P(roviders) stark raving bonkers trying to keep their heads above water with a load that is increasing geometrically and already pretty much out of control...

I get it...

I really do...

I just don't care, from the ISP's perspective...

Those guys (ISP's) have been milking their customers as a Cash Cow, and we've been at their mercy in such matters, for a very long time...

It's delightful to see the tables being turned for once, just to bitch-slap 'em back into place, and remind them that they serve us, rather than the other way around...

It's possible that such regulation and flat-fee rates for Internet usage will prove to be unsustainable over a period of a decade or more...

But I'm all in favor of throwing caution to the wind and giving them a taste of their own medicine for once, and having the Feds keep a close eye on them so that they don't start throttling-back service in an Industry-wide Gang Toidy of Petulance or setting up conditions so that they get their way on-the-sly, after a cycle of poor service.

I'm also certain that there are a thousand-and-one reasons to throw rocks at that perception and at that attitude, but I don't much care... a little less profit-per-share isn't going to kill those Big Guns, and they're overdue for a bitch-slap by their customer base - the American People.

Incautious, unthinking creature that I am on this matter, I laugh, and say: Go for it - bring on that kind of gubmint regulation. We won't know fer shure 'til we try. Let's see where this goes.

 

[bendog]

Why would anyone support allowing a internet provider, to whom I pay a monthly fed, to charge a fee to a company from whom I wish to purchase something over the internet?

I understand how this would be in Verizon, or ATT's, interests. But how is it good for me?

Personally, I think I understand what's driving this...

Let's say you are a NetFlix (or Amazon Prime, whatever) customer...

Let's say you are also a ComCast customer...

Let's say that you have been getting movie DVDs from NetFlix for years...

But recently somebody clued you in to the idea that you can 'stream' (much of) their content over the Internet, as well...

Rather than waiting for days for the DVD to get to your mailbox, you invest in a Smart Device (smart TV or DVD or DVR or Roku or whatever) for your family room or living room main household TV set, and it's a success...

Suddenly, rather than just using your Internet for web-browsing, you're suddenly streaming a half-dozen movies or more each day... huge files (huge downloads)... and gobbling-up a bigger slice of your neighborhood's ComCast Internet signal relay hub than you were yesterday...

But then your son and daughter figure-out that they can stream NetFlix on their X-Box or Wii or PlayStation game console, or on their desktop PCs, and they start streaming Netflix from their bedrooms either before or at bedtime or on days off-school or on vacation-time, etc..

Again, you've just bumped-up the amount of 'bandwidth' you're using...

Next, somebody figures out that all of the SmartPhones and Tablets belonging to family members can do the same thing...

Again, you've just bumped-up the amount of 'bandwidth' you're using...

Next, somebody decides to wire the house for security purposes, and connect that over the Internet to the Security Provider's Central location or to the local police, fire, etc., as well as plugging your senior citizen's medical-alert bracelet into the Internet, and as your kids start acquiring toys and gifts that connect to the Internet - Leapfrog tablets or other SmartToys...

Again, more and more bandwidth getting sucked-up, where your bandwidth consumption had been so much less, before...

Toss in some more Smart Phone and Tablet and PC apps (HBO Go, MaxGo, ShowTme Go, etc.) and toss in video calling capabilities like Skype, so that you can have video conference calls with your family on the other side of the country, etc., and...

Suddenly, you wake up one day, to discover you're being considered to be a Bandwidth Hog, and making ComCast (or any other ISP) sweat bullets, trying to keep up with the demand, while having to make-do with the revenues and profit-margins their getting...

Rather like the Feds not serving-up a decent C(ost) O(f) L(iving) A(djustment) for somebody on a pension or Social Security, and folks having to make-do with less, in a world of increasing costs...

And this is because every other house on your block (so-to-speak), all across the country, is in the middle of doing the exact same thing, and driving the I(nternet) S(ervice) P(roviders) stark raving bonkers trying to keep their heads above water with a load that is increasing geometrically and already pretty much out of control...

I get it...

I really do...

I just don't care, from the ISP's perspective...

Those guys (ISP's) have been milking their customers as a Cash Cow, and we've been at their mercy in such matters, for a very long time...

It's delightful to see the tables being turned for once, just to bitch-slap 'em back into place, and remind them that they serve us, rather than the other way around...

It's possible that such regulation and flat-fee rates for Internet usage will prove to be unsustainable over a period of a decade or more...

But I'm all in favor of throwing caution to the wind and giving them a taste of their own medicine for once, and having the Feds keep a close eye on them so that they don't start throttling-back service in an Industry-wide Gang Toidy of Petulance or setting up conditions so that they get their way on-the-sly, after a cycle of poor service.

I'm also certain that there are a thousand-and-one reasons to throw rocks at that perception and at that attitude, but I don't much care... a little less profit-per-share isn't going to kill those Big Guns, and they're overdue for a bitch-slap by their customer base - the American People.

Incautious, unthinking creature that I am on this matter, I laugh, and say: Go for it - bring on that kind of gubmint regulation. We won't know fer shure 'til we try. Let's see where this goes.

Well, yes. But if the goal is free and transparent markets, what prevents Verizon, or ATT, or whomever, from charging more? I mean some people STILL don't have broadband. You can buy a cheap mobile phone service.

What gives Verizon a right to make it more expensive for ME to contract with Netflix?

And, I assume you label yourself a conservative, yet you are supporting less transparent markets. How can that be?

 

[thereisnospoon]

NetFlix refuses to pay for the pipes they use, it's their fucking problem

This post sponsored by Comcast Corp.

Not at all. Netflix and other similar companies have a pretty good deal right now.
And I'm not so inclined to the powers in control start charging fees to firms such as Netflix because those will be passed along to the consumer.
With that said, I think those that use far more bandwidth than a regular everyday web surfer like myself SHOULD pay more. The problem I predict will be ISP's will tier usage in such a manner that low use users such as myself will be required to buy a higher tier because my use is 'just over' some arbitrary amount per month.
Sort of like when we choose our pay tv packages. We end up buying a higher tier to get one or two channels we MUST have.
If this goes anti consumer I will slash my use of the internet to the bone. Screw me? I will screw them right back.

 

[RandomVariable]

It is kind of like the "friends and family" plan in reverse.

 

[ClosedCaption]

NetFlix refuses to pay for the pipes they use, it's their fucking problem

This post sponsored by Comcast Corp.

Not at all. Netflix and other similar companies have a pretty good deal right now.
And I'm not so inclined to the powers in control start charging fees to firms such as Netflix because those will be passed along to the consumer.
With that said, I think those that use far more bandwidth than a regular everyday web surfer like myself SHOULD pay more. The problem I predict will be ISP's will tier usage in such a manner that low use users such as myself will be required to buy a higher tier because my use is 'just over' some arbitrary amount per month.
Sort of like when we choose our pay tv packages. We end up buying a higher tier to get one or two channels we MUST have.
If this goes anti consumer I will slash my use of the internet to the bone. Screw me? I will screw them right back.

There you have it! It will be similar to cell phone data packages which fucks everyones ass no matter what type of data user you are

 

[bendog]

This post sponsored by Comcast Corp.

Not at all. Netflix and other similar companies have a pretty good deal right now.
And I'm not so inclined to the powers in control start charging fees to firms such as Netflix because those will be passed along to the consumer.
With that said, I think those that use far more bandwidth than a regular everyday web surfer like myself SHOULD pay more. The problem I predict will be ISP's will tier usage in such a manner that low use users such as myself will be required to buy a higher tier because my use is 'just over' some arbitrary amount per month.
Sort of like when we choose our pay tv packages. We end up buying a higher tier to get one or two channels we MUST have.
If this goes anti consumer I will slash my use of the internet to the bone. Screw me? I will screw them right back.

There you have it! It will be similar to cell phone data packages which fucks everyones ass no matter what type of data user you are

I think that's it. And, I blame my daughter. Were it not for her, I would never text, and the only time I speak to my wife on the cell is to ask her what I need to buy at the grocery store.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Once again the GOP proves that when they preach about freedom and small business that it's all total horseshit. The GOP is about one thing....big business and freedom for big business to do what they want, when they want. The GOP doesn't care about freedom for the individual and they certainly don't care about small business. Their ridiculous stance on Net Neutrality proves that without a shadow of a doubt.

Republicans Will Try to Kill New Net-Neutrality Rules - NationalJournal.com

If you are against Net Neutrality, you either don't understand the issue or you're a corporate shill. There is no other explanation.

Maybe we should require gas stations to fill up all cars and trucks for the same price regardless of their capacity. Probably not such a great deal for the guy with an 8 gallon tank but a great deal for my 132 gallon capacity. The principle is the same here, band width gluttons don't want to pay for what they use, they expect everyone else to subsidize them.

Umm, Gas is the same price. They don't change the price per gallon simply because you have an expensive car. Thanks for bringing that up.

Of course not. But if one uses more, they pay more. That's the point.
For example, my cell carrier charges $5 extra per month for 4 gigs of usage. $10 extra for 6 gigs.
Wire line internet should be billed according to usage, not speed.
This will assure that bandwidth hogs will pay for their use.
In case you may not know, propane and heating oil companies actually charge more per gallon for certain customers. If ISP's had their way, they would introduce al kinds of confusing and complicated billing tiers. It would be like trying to purchase a seat on a commercial flight.
My only issue with internet users is how much bandwidth they use. Gamers and downloaders of music and video should pay more.

 

[007]

So we are against freedom because we oppose the government regulating the internet?

Some people are so mixed up.

Liberals are indoctrinated to believe government is the answer to everything, when the facts tell a completely different story about government involvement.

But liberals aren't interested in facts. They're brains have been conditioned to only listen to other liberals and the liberal media. Whether what they hear is true or not, or factual or not, is completely irrelevant. If obama told these people that drinking piss was good for them, you'd see a good quarter of the nation drinking piss, and even though it made them sick, they'd go right back and do it again because obama told them to do it. It MUST be the truth. It MUST be. They've been conditioned to believe EVERYTHING, without question.

 

[007]

 

[Avatar4321]

So we are against freedom because we oppose the government regulating the internet?

Some people are so mixed up.

Do you like how you have been able to access the internet up until now?

Of course. Which is precisely why I oppose the government getting involved. We dont have a problem accessing it now. We won't in the future, unless the government starts regulating us.

The internet is the most free forum the people have. Which is precisely why totalitarians want to regulate it and shut us up.

 

[007]